Sustainability Strategy at Edinburgh Napier University - Assignment Example

BUSINESS QUESTIONS by The of the The of the School The and where it is located The Date Section A: Edinburgh Napier University Sustainability Strategy Introduction Edinburgh Napier University has a working sustainability strategy put in place. The university was awarded a prestigious Carbon Masters Standard award. This followed after the reduction of carbon emission by the cars being used by the campus by 2.9%. Environmental Sustainability Policy Statement According to the sustainability policy statement, principles of environmental sustainability are incorporated into the institutional planning as well as other operations of the institute. According to the statement, it is stated that the university is determined to engage its staff in making sure that the policy is implemented. The university also encourages for there to be effective communication with the community around to make sure that the policy goals are implemented. It is also very clear that the university is set to achieve the ISO14001 accreditation. The university plans to get to achieve this by working on its environmental management systems, which includes the Carbon Management Programme. To achieve this, the university is determined to work on its environmental performance. The general activities that the university has planned to carry out to achieve success in the achievement of this policy are: Promotion of the education on the importance of the sustainable development. By building a relationship with the community within as well as without the university to encourage the development and implementation of the policy. To ensure that all the visitors to the university get to understand the policy and why the university is advocating for this policy. To reduce its overall carbon emissions by around 35% over the period from 2006 to 2015. There are positive marks in the strategy to achieve the environment policy: Biodiversity - The University plans to protect and enhance the biological and environmental quality of all campuses as well as pursue the Easter Craiglockhart Hill Local Nature Reserve Management Plan as a land manager. Energy – The University plans to develop and operate responsible energy management practices through the reduction of the consumption of fossil fuels whilst making use of renewable fuel technologies. Procurement – The University plans to maintain, operate and develop the entire University estate in a sustainable manner. It will also advocate for the purchase of ethical and environmentally-considerate products and services which will help minimize the use of damaging substances and processes. Transport – In transport, the University’s policy states that it plans to promote alternatives to single car occupancy and unnecessary domestic and international air travel. This will be achieved by the implementation of an environmentally-considerate Travel Plan covering all staff, students and visitors to the University. Wastes and emissions – The University policy states that it will ensure that there are sufficient facilities to allow students, staff and visitors to reduce, reuse and recycle waste with the aim of minimizing the amount of waste ultimately sent to landfill. On water - With the plan to maintain the water conservation programme the university will achieve reduction in water wastage. According to the policy statement, the University plans to achieve this by investing in technology and infrastructure that helps to reduce consumption and wastage. This Policy covers all areas of the University. All work will be carried out in partnership with a wide array of internal and external partners and organizations to ensure that all activities, procedures and working practices match national priorities and meet or exceed legal and other requirements and industry standards. Recommendations The stated University policy on environmental sustainability is quite good and workable. However, there needs to be change in the mode of application of this strategy. The efficient communication of the strategy to the surrounding community and University community is required (Strandberg, C. 2009). This will go a long way to market the strategy and also help the community own the policy and work hard to help the realization of this policy. Online sites like facebook and other relational sites can be used to market the strategy to the community as well as the whole world at large, keeping in mind that the University is in a global village (Laszlo, C. 2003). I recommend that the University incorporate a rewards system that will monitor the community and also help encourage the community to participate in this policy (Hitchcock, D., & Willard, M. 2008). In conclusion, the university s however in the right track and this policy is well laid out but only requires great willed management and administration backup that will see it through. The world is changing and the university needs to change with it to remain relevant. Section B: Embedding sustainability into an organization Introduction Different approaches can be used to embed sustainability in the University. When a culture of sustainability is embedded and owned by the community, then there is bound to be lifelong practices that will allow for the development and maturity of the sustainability policy. Portfolio of practices for embedding practices The following figure (Figure 1) shows a framework for embedding sustainability. Figure 1: Framework for Embedding Sustainability. The four quadrants represent different ‘types’ of practices that can be employed to embed sustainability into organizational culture. We’ve called the quadrant that depicts the informal practices aimed at fulfillment ‘fostering commitment.’ The formal practices aimed at fulfillment are about ‘clarifying expectations.’ The informal practices aimed at innovation relate to ‘building momentum for change.’ Finally, the quadrant that contains the formal practices directed at innovation we’ve called instilling capacity for change.’ These four quadrants and their associated categories and practices are briefly explained below. a) Fostering Commitment Practices in this quadrant aim to build and reinforce the importance of sustainability for the organization and to support and encourage those who are making efforts to embed sustainability. There are five categories of practices: engaging; signaling; communicating; managing talent; and reinforcing. Figure 2: Fostering Commitment b) Clarifying Expectations The practices in this quadrant aim to integrate sustainability into the core of the organization’s strategies and processes; equip and encourage employees via training and incentives; and measure, track, and report on the organization’s progress. There are seven categories of practices: codifying; integrating; assigning responsibility; training; incenting; assessing and verifying/auditing. Figure 3: Clarifying Expectations c) Building Momentum for Change Practices in this quadrant aim to support a culture of sustainable innovation by developing the new ideas needed to bring your organization closer to its long-term sustainability goals. These practices inspire and reassure employees so that they can experiment, try new things, and build on each other’s ideas. The categories in this quadrant are awareness raising; championing; inviting; experimenting; re-envisioning; and sharing. Figure 4: Building Momentum for Change d) Instilling Capacity for Change Practices in this quadrant aim to create structures or supports that will form a foundation for future changes in the organization. The categories in this quadrant are learning and developing. Figure 5: Instilling Capacity for Change I propose that the university should draw from all four quadrants in its efforts to embed sustainability. Similar to the need to consume food from each of the four food groups, I speculate that a balanced approach is required. Though we currently have no evidence to support the interactions between these quadrants in particular, it is likely that practices in one quadrant will support and reinforce practices in other quadrants. Indeed, the literatures on health and safety and on embedding cultures of ethical conduct demonstrate the need to employ a portfolio of strategies. McCarthy and Blumenthal (2006) found that it was a combination of practices that supported one organization’s process of safety improvement. These practices included assessing current safety levels; training employees about safety; adaptation of safety measures for each department; regular communication with senior management to enable implementation of improved safety measures; measurement and analysis of results; and organizational communication of success stories. Similarly, Benson and Ross (1998) found that embedding a culture of ethical conduct requires a range of practices including the appointment of a known and respected champion to manage the firm’s ethics program; the selection of key employees to implement the program throughout the organization; the creation of clear policies detailing the firm’s position on ethical issues; the provision of training for all employees on these policies and how they have been integrated into firm operations; and independent verification of the success of the program. Although the task of embedding sustainability into organizational culture may differ from these other culture change initiatives, we expect that drawing from a portfolio of practices will be necessary to achieve sufficient penetration and traction. Section C: Critically evaluate the role of innovation in sustainability The role of invention and innovation Invention stimulates entrepreneurship and overall economic activity, according. Invention can be defined as a focused application of the human mind to the world that yields an original creation with practical use. Inventions are typically patentable, but patents aren’t necessary to make it an invention. Innovation, as defined here, is the practice of bringing inventions into widespread usage, through creative thinking, investment, and marketing. That’s why basic invention is typically needed to spur innovative activity. To stimulate invention, we have to pay careful attention to education. “Invention requires a lot of knowledge,” said Flemings, who taught engineering at MIT for four decades. “We teachers feel we have to stuff knowledge into people’s mind and brains. But we also have to pay attention to the freedom of inquiry, to allow students to find their own ways and to develop their own creative minds.” This balance is particularly important, he said, when it comes to enhancing inventiveness in developing countries. In addition to education, we need to stimulate invention and innovation worldwide by showing that society values those who succeed in these fields. “We need to raise the stature of inventors,” said Flemings, “so that we come to think about inventors on the same level as rock stars or sports stars.” Ammon Salter, research fellow in the Innovation Studies Center at Imperial College, said that invention is not a linear process, from idea to product to economic impact. Rather, invention is a complex interaction between human creativity, technology and the marketplace, and iteration must typically happen between all three realms before an invention has a significant economic impact. Salter’s studies relate to the practice of technology diffusion: How are new technologies propagated through a marketplace, and how good are certain societies at not only creating but diffusing those technologies. In this realm, Salter said, there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that only a small minority of the world’s countries are practicing a significant level of invention and innovation. The good news is that this list of countries is growing and is now up to about two dozen. The two most populous countries, China and India, are in the process of becoming world leaders (Pocha, J., 2004). Overall summary of findings 1) Invention and innovation have proven to be crucial components for the development of modern societies. However, 1.3 billion people who currently live on less than a dollar a day do not enjoy the benefits that many modern inventions have brought. At the same time some key new technologies are known to have caused enormous damage to the global environment. 2) Sustainable development is the practice of protecting the environment while improving living standards for all, and invention and innovation is key to its success. Invention and innovation for sustainable development isn’t just about developing new technology, but includes new processes and new ways of solving old problems—creative thinking is the rubric. 3) Despite the fact that people everywhere have an innate ability to be creative, rich countries are not doing enough to stimulate and harness invention and creative thinking, and poor countries tend to stifle innovation and creativity outright. This is typically due to a combination of factors: insufficient financial resources, lack of role models, education systems that don’t inspire or value creativity, and social/political environments that discourage creativity, invention and entrepreneurship. 4) Innovation to help achieve the goals of sustainable development can start in many ways, including: “copy-catting” (i.e. Japan, Korea and China first mimicking manufacturing techniques and then becoming world leaders.); “piggy-backing” (i.e. India performing service work for rich countries and adapting information technology to local needs); and “leap-frogging” (skipping over technologies that are inappropriate in a given place and time and adopting more sustainable solutions). Recommendations for the short-term 1) We need to learn from successful case studies of social enterprise and from successful models for stimulating inventions/innovations that are making a difference to the poor while fostering sustainable development. Using this knowledge, we need to create the incentives that cultivate creativity on a local level all over the world and to encourage the application of human talents to that end. 2) Awards and prizes with large cash sums should be established to motivate inventors and innovators everywhere to focus on sustainable development. Prizes could be sponsored by well-known institutions, and should be given high visibility through media channels. Prizes should focus on serving as incentives for solutions to large problems, and the prize money should also be applied to the commercialization and dissemination of the new solution. For maximum impact, lobbying could be directed to establishing a new Nobel Prize for the environment and sustainable development, just as one in economics was added in 1969. 3) Networks of innovators and social entrepreneurs should be strengthened and supported (possibly using a model similar to CGIAR, the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research). More cross-cultural teams and relationships should be formed and funded, to promote knowledge sharing across both North-South as well as South-South cultures. 4) More invention and innovation needs to be directed to waste management, clean air and water solutions, as well as the spreading of renewable energy technologies worldwide. Recommendations for the medium-to-long-term 1) Education reform must be a top priority – replacing rote learning with a focus on initiatives to stimulate creativity, entrepreneurship, sustainability, interdisciplinary research, hands-on learning, ethics, values and original thinking. Institutions of learning in all countries, as well as intergovernmental organizations should be leading the charge for reform. 2) Donor awareness – More attention needs to be directed to the long-term benefits of investing in local innovation capabilities. USAID and other bilateral donors should encourage and support invention and innovation through education and social entrepreneurship in poor countries throughout the world and stimulate its counterpart agencies to do the same. 3) Cultivating the corporations – Many institutions already invests in innovation; many also do a lot for poor communities. But they must do more. Multinational corporations and firms can actually benefit by contributing to sustainable development, by providing mentoring, technical, and financial support to social entrepreneurs worldwide that provide key entry points to new markets (Bierly III, P. E., Gallagher, S., & Spender, J. C. 2008). 4) Financing – Resources for social enterprises and for the entire innovation cycle should be vastly increased, with emphasis on downstream links in the cycle that get new tools and technologies into the hands of people who need them most. All sources must be enlisted, including multi-lateral and bi-lateral organizations, the venture capital community, and foundations from developed countries. Local institutional innovation and invention funds need to be established worldwide. 5) Intellectual property reforms – New models of intellectual property protection that stimulate creativity as well as technology and healthcare product diffusion to all areas of the world need to be devised. To make intellectual property protection more affordable, the U.S., European, and Japanese patent offices should reduce fees for inventors and entrepreneurs in developing nations who are creating products that promote sustainable development. Inventors and innovators everywhere should be given incentives to share their knowledge and market their products as widely as possible, in order to globalize the best ideas for sustainable development. Perhaps this could be accomplished through patent pools offering low-cost technology access to developing countries. 6) Social and political environments – Creativity is stifled in institutions that don’t respect human rights, freedom of speech, justice, and the rule of law. Sustainable development initiatives will be less effective in those institutions that do not carry out social and political reforms. At the same time, developed institutions need to understand the impact their lifestyles are having on societies in need of such transformation. Parents and students in these institutions should be mobilized to pressure the management to reshape their practices. References Benson, J. A., & Ross, D. L. 1998. Sundstrand: A case study in transformation of cultural ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(14), 1517-1527. McCarthy, D., & Blumenthal, D. 2006. Stories from the sharp end: Case studies in safety improvement. The Milbank Quarterly, 84(1), 165-200. Jehangit Pocha, 2004 “China’s Second Wave: Country is Now Poised to Flood World Markets with High End Products Like Cell Phones and Autos,” The Boston Globe, Page D1, January 2. Bierly III, P. E., Gallagher, S., & Spender, J. C. 2008. Innovation and learning in high-reliability organizations: A case study of United States and Russian nuclear attack submarines, 1970-2000. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 55(3), 393-408. Hitchcock, D., & Willard, M. 2008. The step-by-step guide to sustainability planning: How to create and implement sustainability plans in any business or organization. London, UK: Earthscan Publications Ltd. Laszlo, C. 2003. The sustainable company: How to create lasting value through social and environmental performance. Washington: Island Press. Strandberg, C. 2009. CSR and HR management issue brief and roadmap. Read More